www.spinningbabies.com

I’m gonna try it out and see if it helps my labor go smoothly (even though I’m going epidural route, maybe I can hold off longer, or not need it at all…hahaha….)

 

So, if you’re even the slightest bit thrifty and want to know how to get a hold of baby and maternity stuff for free, check out the site and sign up for your local area. Then come back and tell me what YOU gave away or got for free!

After having three children with pretty bad morning sickness in all three of those pregnancies, I’ve tried just about every remedy out there. The bad news? There’s not a cure-all. The good news? There’s lots of different things to try. Sometimes one thing will work and then the next time something else works better. So, just because you’ve tried one remedy and it didn’t work, don’t necessarily rule it out completely. There were a few things that worked more successfully than others for me, so I thought I’d at least add a blog about it to hopefully help someone else out there suffering from this nasty cocktail of hormones.

1. Sleep. About the only thing that worked with a 95% rate of effectiveness for me was going to sleep. When I was asleep, I was rarely awakened by the waves of nauseau unless it was REALLY bad. Of course, when you are at work, or trying to watch other little ones at home, this remedy is not always available. Too bad, since I think that if I could have hibernated for the first trimester of each of my pregnancies, I probably would have felt MUCH better!
2. Candy. You know how almost every restaurant has a basket of peppermints by the door as you leave? Well, they actually do help soothe a sick tummy. I bought a big bag of them and carried a bunch in my purse all the time. Something about sucking on that candy always seemed to help, even if it only eased the pain instead of obliterating it completely. Of course, the candies that you want should have real peppermint oils listed in the ingredients to get the best reaction.
   I’ve recently run into ‘Preggy Pops” – lollipops meant to help with morning sickness, but I’ve heard conflicting reports on those. Some people love them and some people don’t. Also, my mom just found a candy/lozenge made from ginger that’s been helpful for nausea for her. Makes sense since ginger is supposed to be an herb that helps with that – whether it’s nausea from morning sickness or from a stomach bug.
3. Eating Something. Most advice out there about combatting morning sickness is to eat. While I was a VERY bad about actually following this advice, it’s still some of the best out there. Somewhere I read that eating every couple of hours really helps – something about not letting your stomach empty completely allows for the excess stomach acids to work on something instead of your actual stomach.
   The best foods to eat? First of all, whatever your body is craving. Usually whatever sounds good to you is because it’s something that your body is lacking or needing. So, even if it sounds weird, go for it. (Of course, I don’t recommend eating dirt or any other non-food items…) Some books say to eat carbs – these seemed to work best for me. Others suggest some protein – this also worked, but was harder for me to convince myself to do. I also found that eating a graham cracker first thing in the morning before getting out of bed, seemed to alleviate some the rush of hormonal yuckies. I know some people swear by saltines, but I found those too hard to eat. Graham crackers will actually dissolve in your mouth without much effort – that was always a plus for me.
   One last piece of advice about eating. I found that if a particular food that I wanted was not already fixed or cooked, by the time it was done I no longer wanted it, or was too nauseas to eat it. So, either get your significant other to fix things for you, or fix things ahead of time for yourself. For instance, I did well with jello, macaroni-n-cheese, and protein shakes. But, if I had to wait long enough for the water to boil for the first two, I’d find myself in the bathroom for sure. So, I tried to make some of both ahead of time and keep them in the refrigerator for when I wanted it.

4. Teas. I tried every herbal tea out there for nausea. Peppermint tea. Ginger tea. Sick tummy cocktail tea. Pregnancy tea. Granted, if I liked hot tea a little more, this remedy may have been further up my list… Although each of these teas worked to a greater or lesser degree, the best advice I have here is to drink it slightly warm. Not too hot, and definitely not cold. Something about ice-cold drinks does NOT help a bubbly tummy.
5. Sea Bands.These little elastic “bracelets” are meant to be worn on the wrists so that the plastic piece aligns with the acupressure point associated with alleviating nausea. They are most often used for sea-sickness (thus the name), but also work for morning sickness. These worked okay, but eventually got on my nerves and most times I decided they weren’t all that great for me.
6. Vitamins. I only tried B-complex vitamins a couple of times. While they probably would have worked well, I have a thing about pills, and it didn’t help at all that I threw up after taking it the first time. I also have heard that it helps to take your pre-natal pills at a different time of day, instead of in the morning (like before going to bed, or with a meal). I always tried to take mine with lunch since that seemed to be my best time of day.
7. Meds. With my last pregnancy, I finally got to point where I had been throwing up for 3 days straight and couldn’t handle it anymore. My midwife prescribed Zofran, but after realizing how INCREDIBLY expensive those pills are ($450 for a bottle of 20 pills), she switched me to Phenergan. While this actually worked pretty well, it’s side effect is drowsiness. So, while I was feeling slightly better, I was so sleepy I could hardly keep my eyes open. After taking it for about a week, I weaned myself off of it so that I could be a better mommy to my 2 toddlers!

Overall, the best advice I have is just to try everything at least twice. That way you give yourself a chance to find out if something might work the second time that didn’t work on the first.

Last tid bits… If you’re experiencing morning sickness at work, keep a toothbrush and toothpaste in your purse to use after visiting the porcelain throne. Mint-flavored gum can also help with that. And, when you are brushing your teeth, if you’ll watch yourself in the mirror, you have less chance of actually gagging yourself and making yourself throw up. It actually works! Try it!

So, what have your experiences been? What’s worked for you? Add to the comments field below and let us know your thoughts!

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]]> http://www.themommyjournal.com/archive/morning-sickness-bleh.php/feed 10 http://www.themommyjournal.com/archive/3rd-babies-and-false-labor.php http://www.themommyjournal.com/archive/3rd-babies-and-false-labor.php#comments Fri, 15 Sep 2006 17:35:03 +0000 Kay http://www.themommyjournal.com/archive/3rd-babies-and-false-labor.php So many of you have been wondering about my progress this week with baby #3 (aka Karis), that I thought I’d do all of us a favor and just write a post about it. Besides, it’s been such a FUN week (read with extreme sarcasm), that I also figured the rest of the mommy world might get a kick out of it, too! Be prepared though, this may be a long one.

I went to my birthing center, Nativiti, on Monday to get an update on my progress. I met with one of the midwives, Katherine, and a new student mid-wife, named Julie, who is an absolute sweetheart. After going through the regular measuring of the belly (I’m measuring between 36.5 and 37 cm), listening to the heartbeat (she’s doing great), and questions about my general health and well-being, the appointment was coming to a close. They were ready to send me on my merry way to go home and rest (my heartrate was a tad elevated – no doubt from the HEAT here in Houston) and see me next week.

When I asked if they were going to check me, Katherine said they didn’t have to, but would if I wanted them to. Of course, I said, “Please?”. Both Kate and Ethan have come 5 days early, which would have put Karis coming on Thursday. So, I was REALLY curious to know if I had dilated at all, or was still tight as a drum…

Julie measured me and estimated that I was at a ‘generous’ 2 or maybe even a 3. They both congratulated me and told me, “We’ll see you later this week!” I set up my next appointment for the following Monday just in case Karis hadn’t come by then (fat chance, right?) and said goodbye to the wonderful staff at the center with promises to go home and rest.

After lunch with my mom and incredible husband and the kiddos, we came home for nap time. Both the kids had fallen asleep in the car, so I was encouraged that, at least for today, nap time would be a success. I transferred both kids CAREFULLY into the house, got them snuggled in their beds and headed towards my room to lay down. Sure enough, Murphy’s Law kicked in and, on the day I was supposed to be resting to get my heart rate DOWN, both of my kids decided not only to not nap, but to be REALLY loud about it. After fighting with Ethan for an hour and a half, and Kate for 2 and a half hours, I finally had them both down, but my heart rate was most definitely UP!!!

My poor husband came home about 10 minutes later and found me in the middle of a hormonal nightmare of a melt-down. I was tired, frustrated, grumpy and feeling like a miserable mother. I was also coming to terms with the fact that I had apparently set myself up to think that Karis was NOT coming this week (I’m REALLY good at denial), and was dealing with the emotions of realizing I was nowhere NEAR ready to have this baby yet. My bag was mostly packed, but I still was missing some groceries and a coming-home outfit and a baby book and, oh yeah, the pyschological readiness of having a newborn in my house again.

So after freaking out on Shawn about all of this and how it was affecting the psyche of my sweet unborn baby girl, he was finally able to talk me back down and remind me of what my sweet friends, Sarah and Cheri, had told me. Third babies are like this. There’s the excitement and fear of the unknown with number one. There’s a more confident understanding and joy of bringing home number two. But number three is different. You are deeply aware of what a newborn requires and have a sense of the impact that will make with the other two – especially if they are young like mine are. So, it’s a little harder to get excited because the deep responsibility of it all is really setting in. Couple that with hormones and the guilt of NOT feeling as excited about this one as the other two, and you’re just a big blubbering, sobbing mommy waiting to happen…

Tuesday morning I had already planned a playdate with some friends, so they were a GREAT distraction for my racing mind. And, my incredibly sensitive, supportive husband called me to tell me that he had gone shopping and bought Karis her coming-home outfit and her baby book. Not only made me cry, but impressed my friends, too! So by the end of the day I was feeling like maybe I was actually ready for this. Amazing what 24-hours can do in the mind of a female.

Tuesday night I had contractions on and off all night. Nothing hard though and nothing that made me think we were actually having a baby quite yet. But, since my experience with the other two was ‘once the labor signs started, we were on our way to a baby’, I figured maybe this could be it. So Wednesday morning I called my midwife, Melanie, who has been at the births of both Kate and Ethan and is my hero! She encouraged me to go for a walk and then come in after lunch to let her check me and see if I was even far enough along that she could break my water and have this baby before she left town on Thursday. I was totally surprised at her suggestion and thankful for her sensitivity to my deep desire to have her at my birth even though she had just had a birth the night before and was leaving the following day. What a lady!

Of course, I should have known that I was nowhere NEAR far enough along, but somehow it took me by surprise anyway. I KNEW that there was such a thing as ‘false labor’, but having never experienced it and being that this WAS my third go-around with labor and contractions, I thought I would know the difference. So, even though I thought I had prepared myself to be okay with coming right back home again, I was still really disappointed and somewhat depressed and frustrated with myself for trying to push what was apparently not the real thing. Besides all of that, it sank in that while I WAS probably going to have this baby in the next few days, Melanie would not be in town to deliver her. And while Katherine is also a great midwife, we obviously don’t have the same shared experience of two other wonderful births.

So, the last two evenings I’ve been at church for different functions that I just didn’t want to miss and have tried desperately to dodge all the ‘when is this baby coming?’ and ‘haven’t you had that baby yet?’ questions from well-meaning people who haven’t been on the ride with me this week. I felt like making a sign to wear around my neck – “not yet, and please don’t ask”.

I’ve only had sporadic contractions and labor signs since Tuesday – just enough at a time to make me think, “Is this it?”, only to realize it’s not – and I’m finally starting to be okay with the fact that this baby is just going to come when SHE decides she’s ready. (If that’s not a ‘no-duh’ statement, I don’t know what is!) So, here I sit on my couch on Friday, September 15th (a great day for a birthday, right Auntie Ellen?), waiting for the inevitable and trying not to think about it at the same time. I think I’m going to go play with my kiddos for a little while and try to practice just ‘being in the moment’. And if I don’t answer the phone when you call, please understand that I still love YOU, I just really don’t want to think about all this again right now!

I’m off to play, but stay tuned. I’ll try to be sure to keep you all posted on how things go… or don’t go as the case may be………..

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]]> http://www.themommyjournal.com/archive/3rd-babies-and-false-labor.php/feed 5 http://www.themommyjournal.com/archive/to-doula-or-not-to-doula.php http://www.themommyjournal.com/archive/to-doula-or-not-to-doula.php#comments Tue, 18 Jul 2006 23:05:09 +0000 Kay http://www.themommyjournal.com/index.php/2006/07/18/to-doula-or-not-to-doula.html Q: To doula or not to doula; that is the question. My husband’s fine with it, I think it could be nice, but I’m not sure we need one. But then, we were talking to our doctor who suggested that if we were going to try to have a natural, unmedicated birth that we might want to consider a doula. Also, I think my biggest thing is I don’t want to take away from my husband’s part in this and make him feel unneeded. I want us to be partners…any suggestions?

A: Doula – I say go for it! Do your homework and pick a good one that you both get along with personality-wise and is going to be able to offer the kinds of things that YOU want.

It’s all about communication at this point. Most doulas are VERY aware of not stepping on the dad’s toes, but are also a very valuable resource during labor as they have more experience with the whole process and will most probably be more knowledgeable and level-headed about things to do to help you have the best labor possible – especially unmedicated.

I would especially think that in a hospital setting where your doctor most probably won’t be able to be with you through the entire labor, and you never know what kind of L&D nurse or shift changes you may run into, that it would be especially helpful to have one person (besides your husband, of course) that’s consistent throughout. Besides that, it’s also helpful for him to have someone to look to for help when he has a question or may need something, too.

It was so nice having ours there for us, because she could go get Shawn something to eat or drink, and then he didn’t have to leave my side. OR, she could hold my hand and distract me while he took a breather or went pee. Plus, one of the other doulas I had during Kate’s birth (she was just part of the birthing team at Nativiti) was also a massage therapist with knowledge of accupressure. She was a LIFE SAVER as she knew just where to touch, how hard, and when to help get through each contraction.

So, if you can afford it, and you and your husband are BOTH comfortable with the idea, I think a doula is a GREAT resource.

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]]> http://www.themommyjournal.com/archive/to-doula-or-not-to-doula.php/feed 0 http://www.themommyjournal.com/archive/glucose-test-yum.php http://www.themommyjournal.com/archive/glucose-test-yum.php#comments Mon, 17 Jul 2006 18:25:16 +0000 Kay http://themommyjournal.com/?p=4 Q: Have to go take the “sugar” test in about 2 weeks. Basically no matter what I eat beforehand it won’t affect the results right? It’s just how your body deals with sugar. Or am I wrong? Can you watch your sugar intake a few days/week before and alter your results?


A: Ah, the good ol’ 1-hour Glucose Test… (not my favorite memory since I’ve wound up with gestational diabetes with all THREE of my pregancies!!)

Not positive about how much eating well a couple of weeks/days ahead helps with the results of a glucose test, but I DO know that what you eat right before the test VERY much can effect the results. My midwife has always told me to eat a high protein breakfast before coming in to do the gestational diabetes test. In fact, she once told my friend to eat eggs, tuna fish and cottage cheese!! Not sure I could choke down all 3 of those in the same sitting, but it does help to offset the HUGE rush of sugar if you’ve got some protein in ya. The main thing to remember is that you DON’T want to have a coke and cookies right before putting STRAIGHT SUGAR into your system. That will definitely send you into overload and you might wind up with incorrect results. (Of course, if your caregiver asks you to fast beforehand, be sure to follow THEIR advice!)
Also, what they never remember to tell you is to bring something with protein to eat AFTER the testing is over, or go straight to lunch, whatever works best with the time of day you go (you’ll probably want a big glass of water, too). After drinking all that sugar and nothing else for an hour you can actually get pretty light headed and some protein helps with that.

The other thing that helps your body to process glucose is exercise. So, if it’s possible, walk around during that hour between when you drink it and when they take your blood again. Of course, this is a whole lot more feasable during the 3-hour Glucose Test (if you’re lucky enough to get stuck being ‘stuck’ 4 times in 4 hours!) as you can usually walk around in between the hourly draws. Don’t bring a book to read, bring your iPod and tennies, and start walking!

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]]> http://www.themommyjournal.com/archive/glucose-test-yum.php/feed 0 http://www.themommyjournal.com/archive/baby-names.php http://www.themommyjournal.com/archive/baby-names.php#comments Fri, 07 Jul 2006 23:06:55 +0000 Kay So, I’m a mom. I know… hard to believe considering the title of this site, huh? I have a 3 year old little girl, named Kate, and an 18 month old little boy, named Ethan, and a little girl on the way. The poor baby girl doesn’t have a name yet, either. Unfortunately, baby girl names are the harder of the two genders for my husband and I to agree on. In fact, with Kate, that was the ONLY name that the two of us agreed on. So, with this one, we’re already in hot water.

The funny thing is that I’ve been to all the baby name lists on all the sites – you know, babynames.com, babynamesworld.com, and even babynamewizard.com (which, btw, if you haven’t seen their interactive Name Voyager graph it’s incredible – you can see the popularity of any name you’d like graphed out over the last hundred years. VERY cool!) and I still can’t pick a name!

My problem seems to be 3-fold. First, I taught school for five years. Ask any school teacher and they’ll tell you that there are certain names that are burned into their memory for the rest of their lives and will forever provide a knee-jerking, nervous twitching kind of motion everytime they hear it. So, right off the bat, there are just certain names that are off-limits… Secondly, I’m a stickler for meanings. If the name doesn’t have a great meaning, and not just ‘broken nose’ or ‘bald one’, I automatically rule it out. But, probably the biggest problem I’m having this go-around is that I’m stuck. I’m totally stuck on a name (and a nickname to go with it) that my husband just doesn’t like at all. And every time I try to find a different name, I wind up coming back full-circle to the same name every time. I’m blaming it on hormones…

The only good news in all of this is that I have a wonderful, patient, loving husband who’s willing to wait it out with me. And, we’ve still got a couple of months to come up with exactly the perfect name for her. In the mean time, I keep praying that God will wake me up with her name in a dream, or that He’ll just write her name in the sky or speak her name audibly from a burning bush or something…

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